IELTS Speaking for Success - 🚊 Public Transport (S03E17) + Transcript

Episode Date: July 2, 2020

Will people drive more in the future? What's more exciting: traveling by train or plane? Can Rory read maps? What's "leg room"?  These and many other questions are discussed in today's episode. Tune in and have a great day! - IELTS Speaking for Success PREMIUM: https://linktr.ee/sfspremium Transcript: https://successwithielts.com/s03e17 Our social media: https://linktr.ee/successwithielts © 2020 Success with IELTS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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I'm Maria. And I'm Rory, and we are the host of the AIL Speaking for Success podcast. The podcast that aims to help you improve your speaking skills, as well as your listening skills along the way. We started this lovely podcast to give you look at how a super native speaker would answer some of the most common IOT speaking questions, using gorgeous grammar and high-level vocabulary.

Rory, I've seen that your writing part one on maps has just been published. Thank you. On Telegram. On Telegram, indeed. Can you actually read maps? I don't need to read a map. I have the Moscow Metro.

That's all I need. Whoa! Dear listeners, we're going to be talking about public transport today. Woo-hoo! In speaking part one, they can ask you questions about public transport.

Rory, do you travel by public transport? I suppose under normal circumstances I would every day, but now, because of the quarantine and everything, it's just the odd metro ride. Sometimes I'll take a taxi, I feel like splurging a little. And how often do you travel by public transport? Well, now, it's only very occasionally, because, well, we all need to sort of stay in our local area, don't we?

I don't know if I can put an exact number on it. Maybe I use it once a week, perhaps. When was the last time you traveled by public transport? That was on Monday. I took the blue line into the center of Moscow. I had a meeting. What's the most popular mode of transportation in your hometown? That's a good question.

I think it's a 50-50 split. A lot of people have their own cars. So I suppose the thing that people rely on most of all is buses to get. around. But that's inside cities. I suppose if you're moving between cities, it's a choice of either your car or taking the train. But maybe some people fly. It would be very strange, but probably. What's the difference between planes and trains? Oh, that's like saying what's the difference between the air and the earth? There's lots of differences. Although I definitely think the trains are better than planes. The only advantage that planes have is that they're faster.

Everything else about trains is better, like the view, the service, the leg room, everything. So if you're listening, if you get the chance to visit the UK, you might fly there, but when you're there, make sure you travel around by train at non-peak times. It's amazing. It's a great adventure. Rory, what about Russia? Would you say that trains are better than planes? Russian listeners can understand me? Russia's different though because Russia is such a big country that it takes ages to get anywhere outside of a major city So probably the plane will be better but if you go to the UK like I think the train is better

Have you ever travelled by train in Russia? I have I traveled to St Petersburg I travel to Voronais by by train as well it was it was actually good fun I liked it but it wouldn't be something I would do regularly Do you think people will drive more in the future? I don't know I suppose in the current economic and political climate. No, I'm still not sure. For example, if the whole climate change movement gains more traction, then they could make it very difficult for people to drive cars more often and in greater numbers.

But if the economy recovers and oil prices remain low, then people might drive more. It's so difficult to tell right now. What about you? Will you drive more? Well, I won't drive at all. I can't drive, period, so it's okay for me. Why? I just didn't learn.

Well, I did learn her to drive, but I just didn't get my life. I'll probably get it next year. Rory, thank you very much for your answers. It's okay. Rory, when we talk about public transport, we say we use public transport, right? Yeah. Yeah, we take a taxi or we take the train. Go by metro, right?

Yeah. Or go by bus, but it's strange that we say go on foot. Well, you could go somewhere on foot, that would be okay. We can also say we commute to work. Yes. I didn't, but we can commute to work regularly. I think people aren't doing that so much now. I think they're staying at home.

If you commute to work, do you use public transport or do you drive? Or it doesn't matter? Oh, right. Well, when I commute, I use public transport, but for different people, it can mean different things. It just means when you move from your home to your workplace. Yeah, but I can say, like, I commute to a restaurant or... Yeah, it's got to be to your workplace. Right.

So basically, to go from your house to work. It means commute. And we call people commuters. Yes. Right. So we can also say like people drive to work or they have their private vehicles. Super. So vehicles basically different kinds of transport, right?

So vehicles. Private vehicles, for example, cars. Under normal circumstances or circumstances. Yeah, I don't think it makes a difference because there's no, equivalent words. So under normal circumstances or under normal circumstances, it doesn't matter. And you take odd metro rides sometimes, right? I take the odd

metro ride. That just means occasionally. We can say occasionally meaning sometimes, right? Yeah. And you took the blue line. So when we talk about metro, like I take the green line, the blue line. You can talk about lines for the metro, but routes for cars, for example. Route 66?

Yeah. No. What was this film called? Anyway, 55 split, right? No, 50-50 split. 50-50 split, 55 split. Yeah, what is it? 50-50 split.

Yeah, a 50-50 split is just, well, half of people choose one option and half of people choose the other, don't they? Yeah, if like, do people prefer planes or trains? And you go, it's a 50-50 split. kind of like as if we're splitting the bill Yes People you said that people rely on their own cars

Right In your hometown People rely on buses Yeah Well if they don't have a car Then they probably rely on the bus Yeah To get around

Yeah to travel To get around That's a nice phrase of a And you said that trains are much better And we can say Much better Or What else can we say

A lot better A lot better Absolutely Many better Oh, far. Oh, no. Oh, we say, like, trains are by far the most convenient ways, way of transport. Legroom. Legroom, that's an interesting word. So, legroom is just a space that you have to move your legs around,

but it could also be used just to describe the ability to move around in general in a space. So, if you, like, if you move around a train freely, then you've got a lot of leg room to stretch your legs and everything. Yeah. To stretch your legs. Rory, you've used a super word gain traction. Wow. This is so proficient, you guys.

Gain traction. What does it mean? If you gain traction, then you get more influence over something. So, for example, if a political party gains traction, then they have more people voting for them than before. Yeah, or this climate movement, you said, gains more traction. Yeah. transport system in general

could be a cutting edge right it could be or state of the art if it's like super modern you've mentioned a good one you take a taxi when you feel like

splurgy splurge yes that's like a well it's just a it's like when you spend more money than you normally would almost thoughtlessly on some kind of luxury product. So, for example, you could splurge on, well, the taxi if you normally

get the metro, or you could splurge on an expensive phone if you, well, if you want it, for example, and you have the money. Why not? Yeah, when was the last time you felt like splurging? Oh, today I'm going to do my shopping and I've got a couple of expensive things I want to buy. Which ones? I need to go... Gucci glasses? Not quite. I need to go and buy protein powder, which is quite expensive. So that'll be fun. Are you working out? Of course I am.

There's nothing else to do. Rory is super healthy. Woo-hoo. Oh, I don't know about that. Okay, the last question for you, Rory. If you were a means of transport, what would you be? I would be. Thank you very much, Rory.

Nice one, nice answer. I would be a hovercraft. Hopercraft. Hopercraft? What's a hopper craft? A hovercraft. I'm Googling. Oh, hover. Hovercraft.

Okay, I'm Googling it. Ah, right. Hovercraft. I'm Googling it now, you guys. Hovercraft. Oh, that's nice. Okay. You guys, you have to Google Hovercraft and go to images.

I'd be a yacht. Why? Because it's elegant and luxurious. But Hovercraft is also elegant and luxurious. No, it's not. Yes, it is. It's not. It is.

Dear listeners. Thank you very much for listening. You can now listen to Rory's answers again and notice all the gorgeous vocabulary and grammar. Bye-bye! Bye-bye! Rory, do you travel by public transport? I suppose under normal circumstances, I would every day,

but now, because of the quarantine and everything, it's just the odd metro ride. Sometimes I'll take a taxi, I feel like splurging a little. And how often do you travel by public transport? Well, now, it's only very... occasionally because, well, we all need to sort of stay in our local area, don't we? I don't know if I can put an exact number on it. Maybe I use it once a week, perhaps. When was the last time you traveled by public transport?

That was on Monday. I took the blue line into the center of Moscow. I had a meeting. What's the most popular mode of transportation in your hometown? That's a good question. I think it's a 50-50 split. A lot of people have their own cars. So I I suppose the thing that people rely on most of all is buses to get around. But that's inside cities. I suppose if you're moving between cities, it's a choice of either your car or taking the train. But maybe some people fly. It would be very strange, but probably.

What's the difference between planes and trains? Oh, that's like saying what's the difference between the air and the earth? there's lots of differences although I definitely think the trains are better than planes the only advantage that planes have is that they're faster everything else about trains is better like the view the service

the leg room everything so if you're listening if you get the chance to visit the UK you might fly there but when you're there make sure you travel around by train at non-peak times it's amazing it's a great adventure Rory what about Russia would you say that trains

are better than planes Russian listeners can understand me Russia's different though because Russia is such a big country that it takes ages to get anywhere outside of a major city so probably the plane will be better but if you go to the UK like I think the train is better Have you ever traveled by train in Russia? I have I traveled to St. Petersburg

I traveled to Voronnesh by train as well it was actually good fun I liked it but it wouldn't be something I would do regularly Do you think people will drive more in the future? I don't know. I suppose in the current economic and political climate, I know I'm still not sure. For example, if the whole climate change movement gains more traction, then they could make it very difficult for people to drive cars more often

and in greater numbers. But if the economy recovers and oil prices remain low, then people might drive more. It's so difficult to tell right now. What about you? Will you drive more? Well, I won't drive at all. I can't drive people.

So it's okay for me. Why? I just didn't learn... Well, I did learn her to drive, but I just didn't get my license. I'll probably get it next year.